This week, I had the pleasure of getting to know one of our legislative counsel team, Scott, a
bit better. Scott and I work kitty corner to one another in the office on days we’re both in, and before this week our conversations mostly revolved around basketball – small talk about who was doing well, who needed a bit of help, and who we thought would do well as the season continues on. This week though, during a lull in the workday, we connected a bit more over a letter I was writing concerning the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Admittedly, I am not an expert on VAWA, and had not until recently exercised due diligence in reviewing the bill. But this week, as I was preparing to write a letter touching on it, I was able to go back through and explore the legislative history of VAWA. Reviewing the legislative history of the bill, I was surprised to note both its bipartisan support and its failure to be reauthorized in 2018. Scott, who has spent extensive time on the Hill in former Senator Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) office and Representative Don Young’s (R- AK) office, taught me a lot about how legislation is crafted and steered on both the House and Senate sides of Congress. Through our conversation, Scott put me in touch with an old colleague of his on the House side, Deputy Chief of Staff for Representative Young Alex Ortiz. Scott told me that Alex was one of his go-to people for questions concerning Alaska Native policy questions, and encouraged me to reach out to him with the questions I had. Over email, we set aside a time to call and get to know one another a little bit and get to answering some of the questions I had. I was elated. Here I am, practically an intern, speaking directly with a deputy chief of staff about wonky policy related questions I have about a bill that didn’t pass. At once I was surprised he’d take a minute out of his day to talk to me and grateful for the opportunity to learn from another person knowledgeable about something I’m intensely interested in. Looking back, a small part of me feels like I shouldn’t be so surprised with the opportunity to talk to Alex. After all, I’ve had amazing opportunities before. I ran the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act down to the floor in my first week of working here. I saw the impeachment documents being rolled from the House side of the Capitol to the Senate chambers, and was able to sit down and see the impeachment hearings first hand. I’ve met with old teachers and talked with senators. I’ve done so much more through this experience than I ever imagined would be possible. I have a job I love with people I care about and work that doesn’t feel like work. On some level, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at what happens anymore. But I am. In my heart, I’m still “just a kid from Alaska”, and I always intend to be that way. The honest truth is that I never knew I’d be here. I didn’t even know an experience like this would be possible for a person like me. That I’d be able to have half of what I have. Or be able to see anyone I visit with at work. Talking with Alex and Scott about issues that matter to me, in the single greatest place where action can be had on those same issues, is exactly what I dreamed of. To be able to do it though, and move a fantasy to a reality leaves me amazed and forever grateful. I can’t wait to see what’s next, and be surprised by it too.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud